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Hey you! Don’t let me catch you adding too many friends or messaging too many users or you’ll wind up getting blocked! You may have seen it yourself, a warning dialog box which pops up and alerts you that your activity is of a rate similar to someone that is abusing the system (a spammer). Every day I receive emails from people that have been banned and they can’t get access to the site and receive no response from Facebook.
How Does Facebook Know You’re a Spammer?
Facebook uses a proprietary algorithm for determining unusual usage. The system automatically disables accounts whereas the reinstatement process is manual. Facebook states that “the speed at which you are acting and the sheer number of actions you have made are both taken into account.” After a little bit of analysis it’s pretty easy to determine what methods are used for determining spam.
Here’s the factors that we’ve determined Facebook uses to block users:
- Number of friends - Do you have 20 friends or 1,000 friends? This is important because the more friends you have on Facebook, the more active you probably are on the site. As such, don’t think you’ll be able to blast out messages or wall posts to 300 people when you are friends with 50.
- Content Similarity - If you are browsing through the site and writing the exact same wall post on everybody’s wall, there’s a good chance that Facebook considers this spam activity. Get creative and switch up the content you are creating. Otherwise let’s be honest, you are acting like a spammer … right?
- Average Message Usage - How active is your Facebook inbox? If you receive 40 messages a day, you shouldn’t be punished for replying to them. [We assume that] Facebook calculates an average message usage for each user. If you fall outside a certain statistical deviation from your normal usage, you will be warned and possibly banned.
- Time - A sudden surge in usage will set off Facebook’s alarms. If you haven’t sent a message in days but suddenly send out 50, you will look like a spammer.
- Facebook Activity Factor - All of these factors (and others that we don’t know of) are used to generate an overall Facebook activity factor for each user. When your overall activity falls outside the statistical norm for you, you will receive a warning. If your usage doesn’t drop to fall within your normal usage levels within a specific time frame, you will be banned.
How to Avoid Being Blocked by Facebook
So now that you know what will get you blocked by Facebook you should pretty much know how to avoid being blocked. Don’t send too many messages, don’t post too many wall posts, don’t go adding friends at a ridiculous rate. Is this model fair? Well that’s really open to philosophical debate but Facebook has to battle spam and the easiest way to play nicely is to stay under the spam radar.
Facebook’s Internal Spam Conflict
As Kim Hart wrote in the Washington Post today, Facebook has an internal spam conflict. Facebook wants to ensure that users don’t get attacked by actual spammers. In the past year the volume of spam on social networks has increased. Both Facebook and MySpace have turned to lawsuits to try to end some of the largest spamming attacks. While Facebook wants to protect users’ right to communicate, they also want to ensure that spam doesn’t drive users away from the site.
Facebook has leveraged a model in which automated algorithms try to determine which users are spammers and ban them from the system. Unfortunately this model hasn’t completely worked as some spammers have found security holed and has leveraged those to spam users from accounts not owned by the spammer.
The bottom line is that Facebook continues their battle against spam. Just as luxury goods stores battle thieves, social networks must continuously allocate resources to battle spam. It has simply become part of the overhead in the social network business.
i totally agree with this post!!!
i was fired and my account deleted with all the contacts only for send 10-20 messages…
i 've been blocked
but i dont know good way to add friends
so..
i'm sorry
what i've 2 do to be back and be normal user ,,,,,,
This is an excellent article!
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“Content Similarity - If you are browsing through the site and writing the exact same wall post on everybody’s wall, there’s a good chance that Facebook considers this spam activity. Get creative and switch up the content you are creating. Otherwise let’s be honest, you are acting like a spammer … right?”
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Thank you Nick for posting this info!
Many people who do not understand that SPAM is much more
subtle and sophisticated than merely receiving too many unwanted emails.
Especially someone like myself, over 40, who would NEVER possibly KNOW that posting an - excellent quality, appropriate to context, “Content Similarity” non - commercial, information only link, to as few as 5 of my favorite groups, would fall under the heading of SPAM. This is an absolutely shocking discovery. And one that caused me to be blocked for 3 days from posting to Facebook. It was horrifying and demoralizing to learn this ..after the fact.
My confidence in my many happy months of consistently excellent Facebook manners, disciplined correspondences, great friendship interactions, and common sense good behavior has been utterly shaken.
I'm now immersing myself in all things Facebook, before morving forward.
Since I highly value my excellent online etiquette the was I value my own good
reputation in general, this has been an experience I'm learning from and arming myself
with all the necessary knowledge to make sure it never happens again.
It's a horrilbe experience to be missing a vital piece of data, incure the blocking penalty for such
a minor infraction, and not know WHAT caused the infraction to occur.
It took me two days of frantic reading to learn what happened in the first place.
I politely contacted Facebook and shared my experience with them. And also thanked them
when I was unblocked, although I received no replies in return. It was a matter of princple that
I detailed my actions and experience with Facebook help, and later thanked them for the un-block. I wanted Facebook to know who I am and that I'm a responsible Facebook-er.
The link you provided to Kim Hart's article is excellent.
Inside Kim's Washington Post article is another article that is VITAL reading.
Here it is.
Thor Muller wrote - “13 Reasons Your Facebook Account Will Be Disabled” on GetSatisfaction.com
It's well worth printing out whether you are new or assume you are well behaved and
“experienced” with Facebook rules and regs.
Take care all,
Hello again folks,
Here is the link to Thor Muller's article,
“13 Reasons Your Facebook Account Will Be Disabled”
http://getsatisfaction.com/facebook/topics/13_r...
Facebook is an excellent social utility.
And I simply plan to master their rules
and stay ontop of the latest news.
Thanks again Nick for your article.
I understand the logic behind establishing rules and algorithms to block spammers, but shouldn’t the algorithm recognize the fact that I share similarities with all the users I request a relationship with? (i.e. same high school, same graduating class, same college, etc…).
For the past year or two, I have rarely used Facebook and had less than 50 friends. I logged in a few days ago and found that I had a bunch of friend requests, most of which were high school friends that I have not seen in over 10 years. Once I added everyone, I found that most of my graduating class were all users of Facebook. Knowing that I’m still in contact with most of them, I started to ‘add friends’ who I know well enough to call a ‘friend’. After I tried to add about 60 friends, Facebook shut me down.
Even more disturbing, most, if not all accepted my invite. I’m still blocked from adding friends - it’s been about 28 hours.
Thank you for the very clear information.
Now I know why I get blocked.
Now I understand that I was wrong.
Of being too aggressive adding new friends prospects.
While on the other hand, I really do not have any intention to cause problem to the facebook community.
I wonder if my account could be rehabilitated ?
Please kindly forgive the mess and inconveniences caused by my indecency.
I’ve been blocked in facebook by adding friends for 4 days………..And now I understood the real situation I’ve been faced… Please Please Can anyone tell me how can I unblocked this stuff..I won’t misuse this feature again
Ya this safety measure is agreeable upon but as i understand this cannot be a foolproof method to track spammers… nyway there should be a much more efficient algorithm to figure out the spammers from the occasional individual who wants to just say Hi to 100 to 200 frenz… It ain’t their fault they have a lot of frenz and not enough time to keep in touch with them.
Good luck with the new algorithms… KIT
I havent been blocked but I woke up this morning and i couldnt access many of my friends profiles. I know that all of my closest wouldnt block and at least not all at the same time so I know facebook has something to do with it. I havent been messaging to much and I only 450 friends so I dont see how they can justify me being a spammer. If they do end up deleting my account im just going to forget facebook cause this would be the second time they deleted it and the second time I would have to remake my account and all those friends back. Facebook also deleted one of my videos for copyright infringment but I dont see what. I owned the music in the background. If someon can atleast give me some answers to why this is happening I will be very happy. Thank you
i have recently been disabled from facebook by mistake, how do i get my account reinstated or who do i contact? thx mike
I have been blocked from sending inboxes but that is how me and my boyfriend talk every night.
How can I be able to start being able to use it again and get unbanned
Pleaseee help!
I now understand what i have done,i added many friends on my facebook to play gangster battle.From my understanding…i thought that by writing “gb invite” in the message box when adding people that it would not be spam.Thought that facebook team would know that it was for the game.Do i get a second chance ? can i have my account back and correct my mistake ? please.
“THE DARK SIDE OF FACEBOOK, AKA, “DISGRACEBOOK,” OR FACEBOOKS COMPLETE LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE”
The unaired dark side of Facebook, or should I call it “Disgracebook” because of the extremely poor disgraceful way Facebook treats its members. The reason I say the unaired dark side of Facebook is I have yet to see anything announced on the prime time major news outlets about the disgraceful practices Facebook uses on its members. The Internet is bursting at its seems with unhappy disabled Facebook members who have posted thousands of complaints everywhere it is possible to post complaints about Facebooks complete lack of customer service and mean spirited disregard for concerns, questions and feedback from members and former members.
If anyone thinks Facebook is “listening” to its members or advertisers or anyone wanting to communicate with them, they simply DO NOT know what they are talking about! Facebook ruthlessly, rigorously, relentlessly, and remorselessly walks all over its members with hob nailed boot polices of culling members from membership for unspecified unknown reasons and then accuses the permanently disabled unacceptable members as “possibly” being guilty of spamming or “possibly” being guilty of harassing other members because of asking too many members to be friends at an unspecified rate. Facebook goes on to permanently disable unacceptable members accounts that have too many friends, belongs to too many groups, pokes too many unknown times, sends too many email messages and on and on and on. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, says that Facebook members seem to take a “personal ownership” of their Facebook accounts. Well, golly gee Mark, Facebook is supposedly a SOCIAL Internet program that people join to meet and make new friends. Making new friends, at least to me, is personal and publishing real photographs and genuine personal information on Facebook seems personal to me. Maybe you should say in your rules and regulations that Facebook wants members to be real and genuine but do not join Facebook for personal reasons and do not expect to be treated in a true genuine caring manner because Facebook does not care in the least about what you think or how you feel. When Facebook says you are guilty of breaking polices you will be treated with complete lack of respect in an impersonal sterile manner and declared unacceptable and permanently banned from Facebook without recourse.
On Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Fan Page Mark states “I’m trying to make the world a more open place by helping people connect and share.” I am glad Mark says he is “trying etc.” because, in my opinion, he certainly has NOT accomplished his mission. Facebook is one of the most closed undemocratic uncaring unsocial business operations since the formation of the Gestapo. Facebook operates carte blanche without regard of a due process of rights for members Facebook deems unacceptable to be a member of its supposed Internet social network service and therefore, disables their account without warning. Facebook justifies its policy and actions under the euphemism of “protecting members” from “repeated actions that COULD BE CONSTRUED as spam,” and from anything Facebook makes up to be a threat to its security. Although Facebook publishes what it SAYS are its rules and regulations, Facebooks security is a computer program of unpublished nonspecific rules and regulations that are enforced by an automated, autocratic, uncaring broadly defined bureaucratic computer program that members violate without knowing it and then booted out of Facebook. If this is not Gestapo like policy, I guess I do not know what it is because it certainly is un-American to say the least!
Furthermore, in my opinion, Facebook is NOT a Internet “social network service.” When joining Facebook you are, in reality, joining an Internet money making “computer advertising program” that is set up to look like a Internet “social network service” for the public. In essence, the Internet “social network service” is a screen or cover for a “computerized advertising” empire designed with one thing in mind, the bottom line profits for Facebook investors. I am all for investors making a profit and if the investors will wake up they can increase their profits by paying attention to the consumer members of Facebook. As it stands now, the consumer is NOT king on Facebook. Facebook can at any time without having to explain its decision declare any member persona non grata. Is it any wonder Facebook members are treated with total disregard for being feeling thinking real people? I have yet to know of a computer program that is able to feel and or to reason. When placing a phone call to Facebook you are treated rudely and crassly informed to use their computerized automated services, which do not reply when used or quickly transferred to an automated answering service to which there is no reply.
Why a business would choose to advertise on “Disgracebook” is beyond my ability to understand sound business practices? I know that I will not purchase any goods or services advertised on “Disgracebook” and I urge anyone mauled by “Disgracebooks” insensitivity to boycott anything advertised by this disgraceful, despicable, sorry company!
If “Disgracebook” is treating its foreign members as poorly as it treats its domestic members “Disgracebook” is not only giving itself a black eye it is giving the United States of America a black eye. Is there anyone out there who cares enough and can communicate with Facebook to help Facebook become a user friendly Internet social network service it claims to be?
I strongly urge anyone interested to please research what I am informing you of because I assure you the situation I have explained is the truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. Until the media and or business community and elected officials takes notice of and makes public “Disgracebooks” dark side inhuman treatment of people Mark Zuckerberg and his staff and money making computer program will continue to execute its falsely accused unacceptable members and fill up trenches behind “Disgracebooks” California headquarters with their discarded accounts.
My acc is today blocked!
I realy dont know why.
I had about 1800 friends who play Mafia war and because of the games I started to come to Facebook.
Whether the reason a large number of friends which is blocked account,or something else really do not know.
If someone says to me, is because they were to blockade?
I see people over 3000 people with friends and not have the locking.
Is there any possibility that the ACC unblock???
please will u unblock my messages on face book thanks
as of today I am also blocked from inbox, I cannot send messages…I only have two people that I communicate with a lot….and I have only like 54 friends total….Why Am I blocked?? just because I have two really good friends??
I can’t believe it. Actually, I can. I have ALWAYS hated Facebook. Then I discovered just the opposite of Facebook — a really good social tool that auto syncs with the others — ReberbNation … except Facebook. Then when I tried to tell “my Facebook friends” about my group and event, I’m locked out. Then Facebook tries to “educate” me on how to use Facebook, one of the items is to suggest informing your friends about your group or event. Huh?????????? This thing just really sucks.
i was talking to my cousin ,
and then i gave him my number to call me
so he can come to my birthday and they blocked
me from messaging , and it was only three messages
Please can u help me too….I jUst know this kind of rules exist…Gosh It’s like i didn’t do anything wrong but i just get block could anyone help me to unblock my facebook please…I hope I’ll be more cautious next time since i always posting up too much comments on my friends wall….
~Thank You~
You are blocked from adding friends due to continued misuse of this feature.
yes i m totally agree but now.this is last time this mistake not givent again to me.so plz release my blocking of account
is there any way to unblock?i m really sorry plz help me for unblocking mail and adding friend